(FE)
Three mineral rich states West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand will help the country to achieve 300 million tonnes of steel per annum by 2030, said Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, adding that the eastern region holds immense potential and a large part of steel production capacity planned by the government under the national steel policy will come from these states.
Dharmendra Pradhan, who holds the portfolios of petroleum and natural gas, and steel is touring the region to first hand witness the public sector steel plants and mines. Union steel minister also discussed plans for creation and development of steel clusters in the region as one of his priority areas. India is the world’s second largest steel producer with production of over 106 million tonnes in 2018. However, there is a huge gap in steel production capacity of China, the world’s largest steel producer, and India. China alone accounts for more than half of global steel production followed by India, Japan, the US and South Korea.